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architecture and design magazineTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:04:48 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Foster + Partners to design all stations and trains for new Jeddah transport networkhttp://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/31/foster-partners-design-new-transport-network-jeddah-saudi-arabia/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/31/foster-partners-design-new-transport-network-jeddah-saudi-arabia/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 12:34:15 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=671822Foster + Partners has been appointed to design an £8 billion transport system for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that will encompass a network of new metro, ferry, bus, and cycle terminals. Norman Foster's London-based firm, which was rumoured to be working on the project back in October 2014, has signed a contract reportedly worth £54 million […]

Foster + Partners has been appointed to design an £8 billion transport system for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that will encompass a network of new metro, ferry, bus, and cycle terminals.

Norman Foster's London-based firm, which was rumoured to be working on the project back in October 2014, has signed a contract reportedly worth £54 million to develop a long-term vision for the future of the city's transport infrastructure.

The masterplan will include the design of all new metro stations, the trains and the branding. Foster + Partners will also create a series of new public spaces beneath the elevated railway tracks.

Still from movie by Foster + Partners

"Designed in response to the local climate, the masterplan is city-wide and draws on the high-density, compact urban model of the ancient quarter of Al Balad, with its mixture of uses and comfortable, walkable shaded streets," said the firm in a statement.

"Currently only 12 per cent of the population live within a 10 minute walk of Jeddah's transport nodes – the project aims to achieve 50 per cent, through a process of densification and strategic planning," it added.

"Each station node will create a new neighbourhood, with a unique character, and together these will create a diverse and vibrant city."

In May 2014, architecture and engineering firm Aecom was given an 18-month contract to provide pre-program management consultancy services, while French railway engineering firm Systra was appointed in July to provide preliminary engineering designs.

Still from movie by Foster + Partners

Jeddah is the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, after the capital city Riyadh. It is also set to become home to the world's tallest building – the Kingdom Tower currently under construction is expected to have a height of 1000 metres.

According to the Saudi Gazette, the new metro system could be completed by 2020 and open in 2022.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/31/foster-partners-design-new-transport-network-jeddah-saudi-arabia/feed/2Sloping concrete circulation entrances added to platforms at Zurich Hauptbahnhofhttp://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/25/zurich-hauptbahnhof-station-durig-concrete-frames/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/25/zurich-hauptbahnhof-station-durig-concrete-frames/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 22:00:56 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=667478Zurich architects Dürig designed angular concrete frames to indicate the position of staircases and escalators at the Swiss city's main railway station, which descend from the platforms to a new subterranean station and shopping precinct (+ slideshow). Dürig was commissioned to develop the underground Löwenstrasse Transit Station, which aims to improve the experience for passengers using the cross-city […]

Zurich architects Dürig designed angular concrete frames to indicate the position of staircases and escalators at the Swiss city's main railway station, which descend from the platforms to a new subterranean station and shopping precinct (+ slideshow).

Dürig was commissioned to develop the underground Löwenstrasse Transit Station, which aims to improve the experience for passengers using the cross-city rail link at Zurich's Hauptbahnhof.

The station comprises two 420-metre-long platforms that will be able to accommodate longer intercity services arriving into the four adjacent tracks when all the building work is completed.

Sandwiched between this level and the existing overground station is a new shopping centre that extends east and west on either side of the River Sihl, which flows from north to south beneath the main station.

"The three functionally differing levels – the platform level, the shopping level and the historical overground station hall – are strictly separated from each other in spatial terms," said the architects in a statement about the project. "This differentiation is also expressed in the materialisation, creating readily identifiable locations."

On the overground level, the raised concrete volumes that project from the surface of the platforms direct passengers towards the lower floors.

"Vertical means of access such as stairs, escalators and lifts are formed as continuous solid-structure conveyance cores running through all the levels," the architects said.

"Their geometry responds to the existing built surroundings, forming individual volumes that, in part, also perform structural functions, for instance acting as bearings for existing supports in the listed roof of the railway station," the architects added.

In addition to the sloping entrances to staircases and escalators, simple concrete boxes contain lifts that descend through slanted shafts intersecting the shopping level.

The unusual angled shafts are required because the tracks for the new underground station and the terminal above could not be aligned.

Throughout the underground spaces, large passages facilitate straightforward circulation even when the station is busy. The open layout of these areas also allows passengers a clear sight of overhead signage.

Materials are used to differentiate the various functions, with the shopping spaces distinguished by light and highly polished surfaces that provide a neutral backdrop for the retailers' branding.

"The architecture is highly functional and dispenses with decoration," said the architects. "The shop window displays, the advertising, the SBB wayfinding system and the people themselves impart enough colour to the spaces. The architecture forms a calm backdrop to the signage, the uses and the advertising."

A darker feel is created in the underground station, where strip lighting is limited to the edges of the platforms so a contrast is formed with the tunnel walls and tracks.

The warm tone of the lighting is supplemented by metallic ceiling panels, while a cooler light filtering down through the concrete circulation spaces emphasises the transition between the levels.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/25/zurich-hauptbahnhof-station-durig-concrete-frames/feed/4Barcelona bridge to be upgraded with smog-eating concrete and luminous pavementshttp://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/20/barcelona-bridge-bcq-smog-eating-concrete-luminous-pavements/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/20/barcelona-bridge-bcq-smog-eating-concrete-luminous-pavements/#commentsFri, 20 Mar 2015 22:00:06 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=666154Spanish architecture studio BCQ has revealed its plans to enhance a Barcelona bridge, adding pollution-dissolving concrete, planted walls and paving that glows in the dark. Barcelona City Council asked BCQ to upgrade the road bridge that spans the Avinguda Meridiana, a dual carriageway that brings traffic into the city from the north, to turn it into a […]

Spanish architecture studio BCQ has revealed its plans to enhance a Barcelona bridge, adding pollution-dissolving concrete, planted walls and paving that glows in the dark.

Barcelona City Council asked BCQ to upgrade the road bridge that spans the Avinguda Meridiana, a dual carriageway that brings traffic into the city from the north, to turn it into a new gateway for the Catalonian capital.

The aim is for the structure – known as the Sarajevo Bridge – to offer a more pleasant experience for pedestrians, through better lighting and improved air quality.

"The renovation and improvement of the Sarajevo Bridge is part of a series of actions to resolve priority for pedestrians, with the aim of it becoming a meeting point between the two Trinitat neighbourhoods," explained BCQ.

"It enables better interaction between pedestrians and vehicles, provides the space with vegetated arcades and changes the image of the bridge to distinguish it as one of the gates of Barcelona," added the team.

The bridge's existing surface will be replaced with photocatalytic concrete – a self-cleaning material that also neutralises pollutants in the air, by absorbing nitrogen oxides and converting them into harmless substances.

The technology – which is also set to be a feature of the Italian pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015 – can be applied to white or grey cement. The pollution it removes will simply be washed away by the rain.

Within this concrete, photo-luminescent elements known as glow stones will provide a source of ambient light. Similar to the glowing roads being trialled in the Netherlands, these additions are non-radioactive and non-toxic, and work by absorbing solar energy during the day and slowly releasing it after dark.

Foliage will be provided by green walls and pergolas covered in climbing plants. "Plant walls improve the quality of the urban landscape and give continuity to recently created new green areas at both ends of the bridge," said the studio.

Photovoltaic solar panels will also be installed to power low-energy LED lighting fixtures.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/20/barcelona-bridge-bcq-smog-eating-concrete-luminous-pavements/feed/3"Definitely not a bridge"http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/17/reinier-de-graaf-opinion-thames-nine-elms-pimlico-bridge-competition-oma-losing-design/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/17/reinier-de-graaf-opinion-thames-nine-elms-pimlico-bridge-competition-oma-losing-design/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 14:49:42 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=663630Opinion: Dutch architecture firm OMA was among 74 entrants for a competition to design a new footbridge across London's River Thames – but its entry was more about making a statement than trying to win, explains practice partner Reinier de Graaf. Last month our office took part in a competition for the Nine Elms to Pimlico […]

Opinion:Dutch architecture firm OMA was among 74 entrants for a competition to design a new footbridge across London's River Thames – but its entry was more about making a statement than trying to win, explains practice partner Reinier de Graaf.

Last month our office took part in a competition for the Nine Elms to Pimlico Bridge in London. We did not win this competition and, funny as it may sound, also did not expect to.

For decades, bridges have been used as a pretext for architects, engineers, and sometimes even artists to demonstrate their virtuosity – making the line-up of recent bridges a vanity fair, much like the line-up of recent high-rise buildings. In this respect, a simple glance at the picture above makes sufficiently clear that we did not stand much of a chance, not least because we refused to play.

Our entry was (and is) a statement, and by being a statement, its main aim was (and is) to turn the tables: it pre-emptively passes judgment on the other entries and therefore on the competition as a whole. Our entry served as much as an evaluation of the competition as it would be evaluated itself in the competition.

The call for submissions had been open to everyone. For the sake of fairness, to shield smaller firms from the reputation of larger ones, entries were guarded by strict anonymity (more about that later). Seventy-four entries were submitted, each one labelled with a code – the only way to eventually match the design to its author. Ours was #043. In a strange way this code, merely a dry number, went together well with the abstract, "anonymous" aesthetics of our proposal. This work could stand on its own, independent of the presence of an author.

The essence of a bridge ultimately resides in what it enables, not in the way it looks

The competition brief had called for "the design of a landmark", which, given the fact that bridges are "landmarks" by definition, seemed strange. The essence of a bridge ultimately resides in what it enables (a shorter journey from A to B), not in the way it looks. Its beauty is more likely to be found in under- rather than overstatement, but clearly not all see it that way.

Two weeks before the deadline our team went to work. We opted for simplicity: a single Vierendeel truss spanning the distance between the north and the south bank of the river Thames; foot and bicycle paths organised on either side to create a symmetrical cross section that was logical in terms of structure. Rather than adding a new structural "tour de force" to London's increasingly virulent townscape, this bridge, almost like a series of picture frames, would capture and re-frame the existing and emerging context of London.

Upon public release of the 74 entries (still known only under their code names at that point), CityMetric, a London-based blog, featured a list of "the 12 most ridiculous designs for the new Battersea Bridge". Ours was firmly ranked number one, described as "The one that is definitely not a bridge", followed by "a helpful tip to architects: you can't just draw squares on a photograph and call it a design." In terms of sarcasm, we were in no way singled out – English humour is wonderfully indiscriminate in that respect. Considering the comments made about other entries: "The Millennium Bridge with sprinklers" and "Why cross straight, when you can go on a 200 meter detour?" we considered ourselves lucky, even encouraged by how apparently well our intentions had been understood.

There are two possibilities: categorical rejection or unconditional embrace

A radical proposition forces a radical outcome. There are two possibilities: categorical rejection or unconditional embrace. The verdict of blogs such as CityMetric was clear, and although the jury was prohibited from informally sharing its deliberations, we can also make a fairly educated guess there. The elimination of the second possibility – we did not win – leaves only the first. As such, an all-or-nothing approach to competitions also renders unnecessary any form of jury confidentiality: praise or scorn, in either case, no further knowledge of detail is required.

Should we have won, or even made the shortlist, an interesting situation would have arisen. Because the design's intentions were so emphatically stated from the start, picking it as a winner would have implied an equally emphatic endorsement and, since the proposal promotes a break with a prevailing trend, also a rejection of the city's recent past.

The design's radical aesthetics almost call for a radical form of politics, challenging a system that notoriously thrives on compromise and caution. Time inevitably creates space for second thoughts – there's nothing more certain than doubt. Politicians, prone to "weak knees", get cold feet, and weaselling public officials are all too happy to convert these doubts into a form of permanent stagnation.

In these murky waters any form of eye-catching design almost acquires the status of a contract, which, through the sheer power of its imagery, constitutes the only notion of a binding agreement between otherwise disparate parties, in a way written contracts (there's nothing more ambiguous than British English) never do.

It was only a matter of time before the proposal would run into a stand-off between progressive and conservative views

When it comes to realising competition designs, the unravelling usually starts immediately after a winner has been announced. This case was even more extreme. Hours after the competition entries had been made public, Westminster City Council publicly announced it did not want a bridge. They never had.

The composition of the jury, with representatives from Wandsworth and Lambeth Councils on the south side of the river, but not from Westminster – the authority responsible for the land on the north side – should have given everyone some indication of that.

Having launched into major new real estate developments at Nine Elms, Wandsworth, the competition's initiator, had more to gain from a connection to the north than vice-versa. It was only a matter of time before the proposal for a link between a conservation area in the north and a new development area in the south would run into a stand-off between progressive and conservative views.

Shortly after Westminster's public statement, the announcement of second-round candidates was postponed (appropriately rescheduled for Friday the 13th). Then, the need for complete anonymity was revisited. While in its earlier stages the competition had suggested a selection driven by the quality of the design proposals, the emphasis was now on choosing "the right team".

The image of our bridge has become a reality in its own right

Let's look forward to London 2020: after a long period of political opposition, dragged out procedures and public opinion serving as a permanent alibi not to move forward, Pimlico and Nine Elms are as disconnected as ever. For cyclists and pedestrians, Vauxhall Bridge, 800 metres up the road, remains the nearest crossing. Why go straight, when you can go on a two kilometre detour?

Meanwhile, the image of our bridge, having gone viral after its publication on Dezeen in 2015, has become a reality in its own right, there for everyone to see. Abstract and serene, undisturbed by the bickering and petty concerns that have come to surround the impasse around the eventual winner. Its crisp virtual presence is strangely at odds with the struggle it would have taken to realise. It is what it is; definitely not a bridge.

Reinier de Graaf is a partner of Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) where he directs the work of AMO, the research and design studio established as a counterpart to OMA's architectural practice.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/17/reinier-de-graaf-opinion-thames-nine-elms-pimlico-bridge-competition-oma-losing-design/feed/19Competition launched to create youth centre inside Preston's Brutalist bus stationhttp://www.dezeen.com/2015/02/27/competition-launched-youth-centre-preston-bus-station-brutalism/
http://www.dezeen.com/2015/02/27/competition-launched-youth-centre-preston-bus-station-brutalism/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 15:58:48 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=653905News: an international design competition has been launched to create a "state-of-the-art facility for young people" inside Preston Bus Station, an iconic Brutalist building in Lancashire, England. The redesign of the western half of the 1960s building, which was saved from demolition in 2013, was initiated by local authority Lancashire County Council and community group Preston Youth […]

The competition is being managed by an arm of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and aims to create a "youth zone" and a new public space, as well as improve pedestrian connections to the city centre.

"The plans will lead to an investment of around £13 million in Preston's iconic bus station, which will see it become a catalyst for regeneration, more appealing to passengers and a home to the new Preston Youth Zone Plus; while preserving the building's unique and Grade II-listed Brutalist architecture," said a statement from RIBA Competitions.

"Central to the scheme, Preston Youth Zone will occupy around half of the space on the Holiday Inn side of the building, with a separate sports hall on the apron outside," it added. "The Youth Zone will feature an indoor sports hall, outdoor pitches, a climbing wall, fitness suite and areas for music, dance, arts and crafts."

Designed in the 1960s by Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson of architecture firm BDP, the building's facade features four rows of sculptural concrete fins, shielding nine levels of parking space staggered across both sides of the structure.

Photograph by Flickr user SomeDriftwood

Completed in 1969, the 170-metre-long building was the largest bus station in Europe, with 40 gates for double-decker buses on its two longest sides. Its 4,250-square-metre double-height ground floor houses cafes, kiosks, and information and booking offices, in a central spine.

"Preston Bus Station encapsulates that rare period in the recent but now long distant past in which we as a nation took pride in lavishing time and money on creating collective spaces of quality and equality up and down the country," architecture critic and broadcaster Tom Dyckhoff told Dezeen.

Under the council's new plans for the building, only the eastern half will continue to function as a bus station.

A curved structure that currently houses the taxi rank will be repurposed to create new coach arrival and departure lanes in a separate project, and the central spine of retail space will be kept intact.

The remaining western half of the building is the focus of the competition, which will be conducted in two phases. Conceptual designs submitted for the first round will be judged anonymously, and five will be shortlisted for further development. The shortlisted design teams will each receive £6,000.

The county council plans to build the winning scheme, with the architects working alongside Lancashire's own design and construction team.

Preston's city council voted to demolish the Bus Station building in 2012, to make way for a smaller facility that would be cheaper to run.